For most people college meant total freedom. Being away or on your own for the first time gives one total control of his or her day. For university students, this meant staying out late nights for parties and time with friends, for some it's staying up late to get some school work done. Late nights however meant late start the next day, chances are that's the tone of the whole day. Running late for the first class and rushing from one commitment to the next. If you want to make the most of your days, you're gonna have to push it back earlier.

This isn't what most of you wanted to hear, and science supports the fact that not everyone is a morning person, society's expectations and some of the most successful leaders in business and governments are early risers. They feel more productive and positive so they achieve more.

While there have been interesting comparisons between the early larks and the night owls, some things just stand out. The morning persons are happier while their evening counterparts are more prone to depression. While research shows evening types are smarter, recent studies reveal early risers get better grades. Night owls may have more game but they also tend to acquire more bad habits. Morning larks are is said to be nicer and more proactive and procrastinate less.

While you may be set in your college ways and think that it works best for you, trying out to be a morning person won't do any harm and you just might feel a little better. Here are some tips and motivation on becoming a morning person and making mornings work for you.

Wake up earlier than you want

Waking up early gives you more time to get things done. That means setting the alarm and rising up and not snoozing until 10:00 a.m.

A report in The Wall Street Journal reports that 4:00 a.m. is the most productive hour simply because we have less distractions this early and we can focus our full attention to our personal tasks and things that require deep thought. Those who accomplish more wakes up hours before their day actually begins.

Apple's Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 a.m. and does his creative thinking at 4:00 a.m. Starbucks' Howard Schultz sips his first cup of coffee at 5:45 a.m. after his walked his dogs and done his workout.

Sweat it out

Doing morning workouts will prevent you from hitting the sack again by getting your blood pumping. Another benefit is that exercise boosts brain power.

First Lady Michelle Obama wakes up at 4:00 a.m. and does her workout at 4:30. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and Twitter rises at 5:30 a.m., meditates and does a 6-mile jog. Billionaire Sir Richard Branson also does his morning exercise before his day begins.

Stay away from your mobile phone and stick to your priorities

This means not checking your emails and other messages, no unproductive browsing on the web and social media. Remember the most important things you need to accomplish and work on them first. It can be some class readings or brainstorming for your research project. Having that feeling of accomplishment early in the morning sets the tone of the day.

Tumblr's David Karp consciously avoids doing his emails in the morning.

Find a motivation

Having the right motivation will help you stick to your new schedule. It can be having more time to spend time with your friends after class, or freeing up mornings for some part time job or special training or course you'd like to attend or get more credits under your belt so you can go on a trip or get to an internship faster.

Whatever it is, anything that has value for you or even a reward can help you sustain the change in your schedule and eventually build the habit.

Topics Michelle Obama, Richard Branson, Tim Cook